1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to covers for equipment, and more particularly to a folded, telescopic drape for medical equipment, as well as a method for folding and using the same.
2. Background Art
In clinical environments, such as hospitals, medical offices, and ambulatory surgical centers, a wide range of equipment is used to perform diagnostics and procedures. This equipment can include devices like C-arm image devices, ultrasound probes, microscopes, and radiographic equipment. This equipment is expensive and must be protected during use. For example, medical professionals must ensure that this valuable equipment is not exposed to surgical fluids or other contaminants. Additionally, medical professionals using the equipment must ensure that the sterile field is protected, i.e., that patients are not inadvertently contaminated due to microbes or other matter disposed on the equipment.
To solve this need equipment drapes have been developed. These equipment drapes are often thin layers of translucent plastic that pass over and about a piece of equipment. They can resemble large plastic bags that have been fitted generally in shape to the equipment they are intended to protect.
For small pieces of equipment, such as handheld tools, the equipment drapes are easily managed. However, for large pieces of equipment, such as C-arm imagers, the drapes are large and unwieldy. Consequently, these drapes are folded many times so that they fit into a relatively manageable package.
The problem with prior art folding techniques is two-fold. First, since the drapes are generally transparent, it is often very difficult to find the ends of the drape. One must sometimes rummage along the surface of the drape until an end is found, which results in a drape that has been carelessly unfolded and is consequently difficult to put on the machine. Second, prior art drapes include a large number of folds. This large number of folds is time consuming and cumbersome to open. The time of medical professionals in a procedure room is valuable.
There is thus a need for an improved equipment drape that is simpler and quicker to transfer from package to machine.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.